The key to cheap broadband is to snap up short-lived promo deals, and right now there are two corkers. As always they come with line rental, and as that's far cheaper than getting broadband alone, you could just not plug in the phone.

The possible savings are huge, as many don't realise how much they're shelling out already. So here are the typical prices of the big firms' standard contracts including line...

- It's only for those who've not had Sky in the last 12mths. If you fit the bill it's available to 90% of the UK - you're told if you can get it when applying. (Existing Sky customers see how to haggle below.)
- Half-price line rental. Usually £18.99/mth, here £9.50/mth fixed for the year. Call costs are a touch more than BT - see Sky call costs.
- 'Free' broadband for a year. After the contract it's £10/mth.
- You pay £9.95 router delivery and £5 (that's refunded) card verification.
- No line/switching from cable? There's a £20 new line fee.

Cost analysis: With the router cost it works out £10.33/mth before calls (and line fee if needed).

2.

Ends Thu. BT fibre b'band & line pay £408/yr but get £200 back so equiv £17.32/mth. Fibre broadband is much faster and good for heavy downloading, streaming, gaming or multiple users. Apply before the end of Thu via this BT link* and you get up-to-52Mb fibre (3x normal speed) on a 1yr contract...

- It's for anyone not currently on BT broadband. So just a BT line for calls is fine. If you fit the bill, 83% of the UK can get it - you're told if you can when applying. (Existing BT broadband customers see how to haggle below.)
- Standard BT line rental, currently £18.99/mth. Weekend calls to UK landlines are included - for others, see BT call costs.- Fibre broadband £10/mth for the year. After the contract ends you pay its standard rate, currently £28.50/mth.
- £59.99 set-up. Incl activation and 'free' router p&p.
- Get £200 on a prepaid Mastercard but you MUST claim it. This is what makes the deal hot, but as BT won't remind you, diarise to use this Mastercard claim link within 3 months of activation (the card takes up to 30 days after to arrive).- What if BT hikes prices? Sadly they can, but you can leave penalty-free if that happens and keep the Mastercard.

Cost analysis: It's £407.87 over the year before calls. But claim & use the Mastercard (anywhere that takes Mastercard so it's almost as good as cash) & it's £207.87, equiv to £17.32/mth.

3.

10 ways to haggle down broadband costs, but for you we'll do it in 9.
Sticking is easier, especially if you're happy with service. Luckily big broadband firms have some of the easiest call centres to haggle with. In our last poll 87% of you said you'd had success haggling with Sky, 78% with BT.

Like Shelly, who wrote: "Thanks to your suggestions, we haggled a much better deal with Sky - replaced ordinary broadband with fibre and are now paying £15/mth less."

i) The best time to do it is when you're near the end of your contract.
ii) Check out competitors' prices first using our Cheap Broadband guide.
iii) Mention anything that's annoyed you such as price hikes or poor service.
iv) Use phrases that pay such as "It's out of my budget" or "I want to stick with you but my partner doesn't - can you help?" See full Phrases that pay.
v) Be firm and polite, not angry; you're trying to charm them into a discount.
vi) THE BIGGIE: Say if the deal isn't good enough you'll have to leave. That way you get put through to 'disconnections' - its real name is customer retentions, their job is to keep you. See Retention tricks.
vii) If at first you don't succeed, try another day - rumours are they work on quotas.
viii) Don't call in lunch hours: that's often when they're really busy.
ix) If the deal really isn't good enough, do consider actually leaving.

4.

Check if your broadband speed is fast enough. Do a free 2-min speed test*to see how speedy your broadband actually is (try at different times of day for the best picture).

If you're signing up to a new provider, it's tricky to know what speed you'll actually get. There's a rule that only 10% of customers need to get advertised 'up to' speeds, though this is currently under review. Some providers give you a minimum speed at sign-up, and if you get speeds "significantly below" that, you may be able to leave penalty-free.

What does 'available to XX% of the UK' mean? Firms tend to be only able to give really cheap prices if they have their own kit in the exchange cabinets on the streets - called 'unbundled exchanges'. Otherwise the service isn't usually available, or it's at a much higher price - you're told during sign-up.

7.

Is cashback possible? Members of top cashback sites may be able to get bigger cashback through them. It's worth checking, though do compare like-with-like, eg, check the prices and contract lengths are the same - you may find you get more cashback but are locked in for longer.

TSB's rejoined the fight for your custom with three whopping incentives, giving over £250 to many if you switch and stay. We never tire of saying it - switching's easy and takes just seven working days, plus the new bank closes your old account, switches direct debits and standing orders for you and auto-forwards all payments sent to the old account...

New. TSB 3-in-1 deal. To get it you need to be a new customer applying via this TSB Classic Plus* link (not direct) or you don't get the £130 element. It does well in our customer service polls, with 63% saying it's great. For those who have cookie blockers (if you don't know what one is, you probably don't) do switch it off before clicking or it may stop it tracking.

- Free £130 for switching. To get it you must use its switching service, pay in £500 within 28 days and transfer two or more direct debits that have paid out in the last 13 months.
- Up to £10/mth cashback. Register for internet banking and until June 2018 it pays £5/mth cashback as long as you've 2+ monthly direct debits paying out. Plus get a further £5 every month you make 20 debit card transactions (you can always split up your supermarket shop to do this if needed).
- 3% AER variable interest on up to £1,500. To get this just register for internet banking, go paperless and pay in £500 a month (eg, your salary). With the max amount you'd earn £44/year.

The competition... Here are two top picks for comparison - for a full rundown though see our Best Bank Accounts guide. As with TSB, you're credit-checked when you apply and need to use their switching services.

- Free £125, top service, 5% regular saver. Apply via this First Direct* link and you get £125 (£100 if you apply direct). It's won every customer service poll we've ever done, 90% rate it 'great'. Plus you get a £250 0% overdraft and access to its 5% fixed regular saver. The account's free if you pay in £1,000/mth - if not, it's £10/mth.

- Free £125 M&S gift card + £5/mth for a year, 5% regular saver.M&S Bank* gives switchers a £125 M&S gift card, access to its 5% fixed regular savings account and a £100 0% overdraft. Also, for the first year, it'll add £5/mth to the gift card if you pay in at least £1,000/mth. You need to switch 2+ direct debits and keep them active for the £5/mth.

Every grown-up has a financial CV, but it's not one you prepare yourself. If wrong it can kill your ability to get a cheap mortgage, mobile phone contract, 0% credit card, monthly car insurance, cheap energy and more. Everyone needs to know what their report says - yet I'm staggered that most of you have never checked it. Time to change that...

Your credit report (or file) is your financial CV. Lenders use it when you apply for anything remotely resembling credit - even renting is gradually being brought into it. There are three main credit reference agencies and each prepares its own report. Check at least one, and preferably all of them, EVERY YEAR and before any major credit application.

How to check FOR FREE. The law says the agencies must let you check yours for £2, but you can get it for free by going elsewhere (or signing up for 'free' trials with 'em and then cancelling). Here's how for each agency...

- Experian - used by the most lenders: You can get a copy of its credit report, updated monthly, by joining our free MSE Credit Club. And while there you also get your Credit Score, Affordability Score, my unique Credit Hit Rate measure and info on how to improve your score. Have a play, we're rather proud of it.

- Equifax - the other major agency: Its file is the one you're shown at Clearscore.

The files show your accounts for the last 6yrs, which firms have searched you, who you're linked to and more. Check line by line - even small errors can hurt. I've seen a mortgage rejected due to a wrong address for an old mobile.

How to fix credit report errors. First contact the credit reference agency - it'll liaise with lenders for you. If the lender disputes it, write a notice of correction. It slows applications but can help.
After that make a formal complaint to the lender; if it won't listen, you can escalate it - see full how to fix credit report errors info.

Don't confuse your credit report with a credit score. The latter is something agencies do to roughly show if a lender's likely to see you as good or bad risk. While interesting, it's not the be-all and end-all, as each lender is different. Plus credit scores don't factor in your income, so even the best scorer will be rejected if they can't afford to repay.

We're heading into peak wedding season and love is in the air. But the average wedding costs a heartbreaking £25,000, so for many the big day doesn't come cheap. We wanted to Pippa you to the post with our 50+ Cheap Wedding Tips to help - here are six to get you started (and why not send this to engaged couples you know?):

New. 15% off Moss Bros suit hire code until Mon. We've blagged a rare code for 15% off Moss Bros suit hire, including extras. For bookings up to 18mths in advance. Works on selected suit purchases too.

All-in wedding receptions for £1k. Holiday Inn, Old English Inns and Britannia Hotels have £1,000 wedding packages, incl food & drink for 30-50 guests, plus extras such as a red carpet, disco or DJ. Also see 10 Qs to ask the venue.

Do you need wedding insurance? Consider it carefully - weddings are an expensive, emotional business, but insurance won't cover everything, eg, if your dearly beloved gets cold feet. Our Wedding Insurance guide explains the basics, plus if you decide you say 'I do' to it, how to get cover from £35.

SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: (Send us yours on this or any topic)"Just got my home insurance down from
£838 to £146. Have been letting it renew for years without bothering - so thanks for making us see sense."

How many passwords do you have? Cybersecurity has been in the news this week following the terrible worldwide malware attack that hit the NHS particularly hard. It's a reminder for us all to ensure we're cyber and password-safe.

Your key issues for the MSE Leaders' Debate. The leaders of the seven major political parties have agreed to take part in our 'leaders' debate'. Results from last week's poll, where we asked you what consumer topics you wanted them to be quizzed on, reveal your key issues are pensions, social care and income and tax. See the full debate poll results.

Q: I bought a digital piano which became faulty after only three days, and I complained to the retailer within 30 days of purchase to say I wanted a refund. He is telling me to back off and insisting it's up to him to prove the item is fine. Is he right? Vera, via email

MSE Megan's A: It's not black and white but he's certainly not 100% correct. By law, if you request a full refund within 30 days of purchase (known as 'the short-term right to reject'), technically it's YOUR responsibility to prove the item's faulty. Yet if he wants to try to prove it himself, he can.

If there's any disagreement though and you can't reach a resolution, it could ultimately be up to a court to decide.

It's different if you instead ask for a repair or replacement within six months of purchase. Here, a 'reverse burden of proof' exists, and it would be up to the trader to prove it was fine. See our Consumer Rights guide for more info.

That's it for this week but before we go, there's no shopping bag more iconic than the 40p Ikea holdall - a designer lookalike surfaced last month with a staggering $2,000 price tag. Now creative types are 'upcycling' the bags into hats, shoes, wallets and even G-strings. (Wear at your own risk - of chafing.) See the full range and suggest your own ideas in our 'Upcycling the Ikea bag'Facebook post.

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

What you need to know

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

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Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin Lewis

What is MoneySavingExpert.com?Founded in February 2003, it's now the UK's biggest consumer help website with more than 12 million people getting this email and about 13 million using the site every month. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple: saving cash and fighting for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 80 full time staff, more than a third of whom are editorial - researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE.

Who is Martin Lewis?
Martin set up and is chairman of MSE. He's an ultra-focused money-saving journalist and consumer campaigner with his own ITV prime-time show The Martin Lewis Money Show and weekly slots on Radio 5 Live, This Morning and Good Morning Britain, among others. He's a columnist for publications including the Telegraph, Sunday Mirror and Woman magazine. More info: See Martin Lewis' biography.

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How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

Do note, while we always aim to give you accurate product info at the point of publication, unfortunately price and terms of products and deals can always be changed by the provider afterwards, so double check first.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.

Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MoneySupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally-binding MSE Editorial Code.